"Sara cries and clings to her mom every morning. I empathize, but after three weeks, it's interfering with our second-grade morning routine. What should I do?"

Look for a deeper reason. This young girl has anxiety that needs to be addressed. Try sharing your concern with her parents to gain more insight into this problem, and talk with the child's first-grade teacher to find out if this problem has a history. Whether or not you get a clear understanding immediately, make sure you greet the child each morning with a welcoming smile. Then set her to a task, such as taking the lunch count or handing out papers. The responsibility will help her get her mind off of the separation. If you focus on the desired behavior and praise the student, she may transition into the school day with a little more ease.--Jaynelle Liebrecht, Casis Elementary School, Austin, TX

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Learn where the child is coming from. Is she new to your school? Has she been homeschooled? This is a common reaction for children who have been learning at home. I find that spending some time with an anxious child before school starts can really help. When possible I invite another child, and the three of us put up bulletin boards or do a project to help introduce the classroom experience. Also, of course, talk to the parent. Perhaps something has occurred at home that is causing the child stress. I definitely wouldn't ignore the problem or just wait for it to go away. Second grade is pivotal in terms of peer socialization and establishing independence.--Dawn Flowers Thompson, Clara Barton #2 School, Rochester, NY

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Try to follow a simple morning routine. If separation anxiety lasts more than a few days, something more is likely going on. Talk with the parents to see if there is a situation at home and think about your classroom dynamic. Is the child making friends and able to keep up with her schoolwork? As you gather information, try to keep the morning routine calm and predictable. Good-byes should be short and positive. Perhaps enlist a friend to meet her each morning and ease the transition. Later, near the end of the day, make a list with your students of the best things that happened that day. Then, share some some of the highlights of the coming school day.--Jane Lierman, Oak Creek School, Lake Oswego, OR

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RELATED ARTICLE: Dr. Brodkin says ...

Three cheers for these teachers' helpful insights. As they indicated, alleviating such separation anxiety initially requires gathering a lot of information. By second grade, most children, especially those returning to a familiar school setting, can ease into back-to-school mode after some passing first-day "butterflies." It may be more difficult for a child who has moved to a new community. If a child has had easy transitions starting school in previous years, there is a good chance that she has something worrisome going on in her life right now. For example, such a reaction is not uncommon among children, most often girls, of newly separated or divorced families. The child might worry about leaving the parent alone all day. Chatting with the parent(s) in a non judgmental way can be very useful. If the problem is the result of some current life stress, the family should be referred for counseling.

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On the other hand, if this child has always had difficulty in separating, getting insight from the family and previous teachers into the reasons why and how they have handled the matter can be instructive.

Dr. Adele Brodkin is a child psychology expert and the author of Fresh Approaches to Working With Problematic Behavior (Scholastic, 2001).

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